The consistent characteristic among the nine assistant coaches is that they have the reputation of possessing the same tireless work ethic of the head coach they are working for.

In putting his staff together after taking the OSU job in late November, it was clear that Meyer targeted coaches who were willing to be relentless recruiters.

Former OSU and New England Patriots standout Vrabel, who was hired by then-interim head coach Luke Fickell last year, was put to the test by Meyer before being permitted to keep his spot on the staff.

“Basically, he went out on a two-week mission to show me he could go recruit,” Meyer said of Vrabel. “I would have to say, with all due respect to the other eight coaches on the staff, if he’s not the best, he’s one of the best recruiters I have on staff. That tells you what kind of future this young guy has in college football.”